BE was one of the first publications to establish a board of economists, which included such notables as the late Nobel Laureate Sir Arthur Lewis and Dr. Andrew Brimmer, the first African American to serve on the Federal reserve Board of Governors.

In this issue, the board developed the first Annual Economic Outlook for Black America in which a number of recommendations to the economic ills of black America — and the nation as a whole — gained consideration by congressional leaders, policy makers and the White House.